‘Anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me’: PM Narendra Modi

Jun 25, 2025 10:12 AM IST

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Wednesday said no Indian will ever forget the excesses during the Emergency, when the spirit of the Constitution was violated and ordinary citizens jailed. On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed for 21 months by the then Congress government, the PM reiterated his government’s commitment to strengthening the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

In a series of posts on X, the PM said, “Today marks fifty years since one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency. The people of India mark this day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was extinguished, and several political leaders, social workers, students, and ordinary citizens were jailed. It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest!”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government observes June 25, the day on which the Emergency was proclaimed, as the ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,’ as a reminder of how civil liberties, press freedom, and other rights were curbed and the provisions of the Constitution sidestepped.

The PM, who was then a full-time volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP, was part of the anti-Emergency campaign of opposition leaders, socialists, students, and ordinary students. “No Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament muzzled, and attempts were made to control the courts. The 42nd Amendment is a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted,” he said.

Paying tribute to those who fought for the restoration of democracy and fought against government excesses during the Emergency, the PM said, “We salute every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency! These were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India’s democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives. It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost.”

He said his government remains committed to strengthening the principles in the Constitution and working together to realise the vision of a Viksit Bharat. “May we scale new heights of progress and fulfil the dreams of the poor and downtrodden…” he said.

The PM also referred to the book, “The Emergency Diaries”, which is being released, as a chronicle of his journey during the Emergency years. “It brought back many memories from that time. I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977,” he said.

He recalled how, for a young RSS Pracharak, the anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience. “It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement,” the PM said.